Douglass Calmes
1st teaching experience
My first teaching experience in Asia was in Yangzhou, China at Beijing New Oriental Summer Camp in the summer of 2005. I had just recently graduated from the University of Washington with my Masters in Teaching and was ready to apply the pedagogical and developmental insights accrued during such rigor. I had taught 8th grade English in Seattle and was told that in Yangzhou I would be dealing with the same age bracket. Well the age was about the only similarity between teaching in the States and what was expected in China. For starters the class sizes were huge to the point of farcical; especially when considering that oral English was the main focus. Most classes ranged in sizes of no smaller than 40 students, with some classes peaking at almost 60 students. Classes were an hour and a half long and the range of proficiency among students varied tremendously. Some students had a good, fundamental grasp of English. These students were assiduous in their work and extremely interested in learning. On the other end of the spectrum were those students who knew absolutely no English at all and who could care less in learning it. So needless to say it was a challenge to keep the integrity of the class interested, learning, and improving. There were times when I failed and then there were times when I triumphed. The Chinese students were fascinated to have a foreigner in their midst that for the first few times in the classroom all they do is stare and giggle. Once over their fascination, Chinese students are, for the most part, extremely hard working. Kind and considerate their lust for knowledge was unquenchable. The actual teaching itself differed little. There was still class monitoring, assessments to be made, rubrics drawn up, student mentoring, grading, and all the other minutiae one finds in a class full of hormonally challenged kids. Overall the experience was wonderful. I grew both as and individual and professionally. Teaching in China was a lesson in humility, patience, and love.

What do you like most about teaching in the country you are teaching?
What I like most about teaching in China are my students. They are a constant source of delight and amazement. Each time I step into the classroom the exchange of ideas and learning is transmitted both ways. The unpredictability of their questions keeps me on my toes and reinforces just how thirsty these young adults are. Aside from the students, teaching in China has rewards outside of the arena of teaching. Learning about an entirely different culture, its food, people, and beliefs is an education in and of itself.

What's your schedule now?
My teaching schedule at the moment is, to put it mildly, a piece of cake. I work for two hours on Monday, five hours on Tuesday, and four hours on Saturday. When I first began at Nanjing Number One Middle School I was working no more than 20 hours a week.

Any advice for those coming to the country you are teaching?
The only advice I feel that I can offer is if you are coming to China come with an open mind, heart, and loads of patience. Depending on one's traveling experiences, China is unlike any other country. It is a country of contrasts, of brutality and gorgeous acts of love and humility. It is a country in the throes of change. The excitement of being here is feverish. Change takes place every day and one must be able to adapt with it. Misunderstandings due to cultural ignorance are commonplace and one must have the patience and humor to deal with them. China is a profoundly beautiful country if one possesses the eye to see it.